In today's society, the use of wireless communications devices is becoming more and more commonplace. Wireless communications devices permit a user to be contacted, and contact others, from almost any location on the Earth. Such wireless communications devices typically include, but are not limited to, analog and digital and cellular phones, pagers, wireless phone handsets, wireless communicators, personal computers and laptops equipped with wireless modems, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), Handheld Personal Computers (HPCs), and other wireless electronic devices. While the wireless progression has increased the ability of individuals to communicate with others since communication via wireless networks can be effectuated from almost any location on the Earth, there are times when a user of the wireless communications device is unavailable to take a call, or otherwise does not wish to be reached. However, even in these instances when a user is unavailable, he or she may wish to provide different individuals with different, unique messages. It is also desirable to provide this unique messaging feature in a manner most cost effective to the user.
Conventional wireless, or mobile, communications devices typically do not support such a unique messaging on demand feature. In conventional mobile communications devices, when a mobile user is unable to take a call, they will either ignore the ring, or hit the “NO” key to indicate that they are busy or otherwise unavailable. Hitting the “NO” key typically provides two responses to a caller of the incoming call. They will either get a carrier provided response that the user is unavailable, or they will be directed to voice mail where they may leave a message for the mobile user. Voice mail is provided by the wireless system carrier and typically allows for only one message to be pre-recorded by the mobile user that all callers directed to voice mail will hear.
One improvement in wireless messaging is found in International Publication No. WO 99/39490 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Handling Incoming Calls Received by a Portable Intelligent Communications Device During a Meeting”. This application discloses an apparatus and method for handling incoming calls during an operational mode of a mobile communications device when a user is engaged in a meeting or otherwise unavailable. The mobile communications device includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) which generates a variety of options on a display screen when an incoming call is received by the device when in the operational mode. A user of the mobile communications device manually activates one of the available options for handling of the incoming call.
While one of the options available to the user in International Publication No. WO 99/39490 is having a plurality of stored messages from which to choose for playing back to a caller of an incoming call, these voice messaging options are saved internal to the mobile communications device. This requires additional memory storage within the mobile communications device, which not only costs money but occupies valuable space within the wireless communications device. As wireless communications devices become smaller and smaller, as typically occurs with each new generation of cellular phone, the allotted space within the wireless communications device must continually be more efficiently utilized. Further, with the price pressures effecting the consumer market, the ability to add functionality to a mobile communications device without adding hardware and incurring additional costs is a key advantage.
Also, in order to use the voice messaging functions disclosed in International Publication No. WO 99/39490, the incoming call must first be completed. That is, the incoming call must be changed from a control channel, where the mobile user incurs no costs, to a traffic or voice channel, where the mobile user is charged by the wireless system carrier for airtime. Further, switching the call from the control channel to the traffic channel also occupies system capacity that could otherwise be available for other calls.
The present invention is direct toward overcoming one or more of the above-mentioned problems.